Chantelle Cameron one step closer to undisputed glory after dominant McGee win

The massively popular “Romford Bull” Jonny Fisher put on a show for his huge fanbase as he dispatched Alvaro Terrero in the second round of their heavyweight clash.

Fisher may not have much amateur background but the gradual and slight improvements are there to be seen with each performance and this one was no different. In the first round he was perhaps a little overeager with his clubbing right hands and he walked onto a couple of unnecessary punches from his Spanish opponent, but after a talking to from Mark Tibbs in the corner he approached the second round with killer instinct.

A big right hand seemed to slam into the side of Terrero’s head and scramble his senses and his legs betrayed him as they splayed underneath him and took the Spaniard down. The veteran beat the count but Fisher poured it on and had him down again with another bludgeoning right. The writing was on the wall as Terrero gamely got up again but was soon taken out by a barrage from the fan favourite which led to a stoppage from the referee.

The decision was met by a wild ovation from the audience and although Fisher (now 4-0 with four KOs) is very much a work in progress there is absolutely no doubt that the general public want to see him go far in his career. He is extremely raw and his fundamental skills are quite basic but what he does possess is power in abundance. Very few of his shots landed with maximum flushness and yet Terrero was unable to withstand them. If Fisher can learn to pick his punches with increased accuracy then he may become a danger, at least domestically.

Craig Richards bounced back from his loss against WBA ruler Dimity Bivol by defeating Marek Matyja in the sixth round of their light-heavyweight contest for that body’s International championship.

Richards started the fight behind his jab and was already causing reddening to the face of the Pole by the end of round one. But Richards, as so often, seemed content to stick to his one-paced and one-dimensional attack which gave Matyja confidence and he took advantage of that in the second round with a solid right hand as Richards was slow to move out of range.

Matyja was on the front foot now and although Richards wasn’t looking troubled he was still being outworked. Matyja was having success with his looping shots and it was clear that Richards was going to need bringing out of his stupor.

In round four Richards mixed in some body attacks and seemed to slow the forward momentum of his opponent but instead of building on it he chose to sit back and allow Matyja to come back into proceedings and continue to cause problems.

The big talking point came in round six when Matyja, buoyed by his success, walked straight onto a crunching right uppercut from Richards. His legs immediately turned to jelly and he was hanging on for dear life. Richards went for the kill and Matyja’s head was being snapped all over the place from hard shots. But it cannot be denied that the Pole was showing survival instincts and clinging on whenever he could. That being said the referee has a duty to protect and Richards was pummelling Matyja against the ropes when he chose to step in. Matyja protested but in all honesty his complaints are unwarranted.

Richards is an extremely frustrating fighter and this bout was yet another case in point. He possesses tremendous skill, balance and footwork as well as clear power in his shots but he so often chooses to coast behind his jab and do the bare minimum. The former British champion demonstrated, in moments, his ability in a very game showing against Bivol in his maiden world title tilt but he did not press enough. The truth is that we still don’t know what Richards (now 17-2-1 with 10 KOs) is capable of and until he is tested at European or World level, as he says he wants to be, on a consistent basis then we never will.

The opening contest of the evening saw Texas-born Jorge Castaneda edge out London’s Youssef Khoumari in a highly entertaining contest, albeit with a controversial majority decision, as the Laredo man picked up the WBC International Silver super-featherweight championship.

Castaneda was fresh off his upset win over US prospect Otha Jones III, but the unbeaten Khoumari seemed to start the better. It was clear that Castaneda was confident in his power and was looking to land bombs whenever Khoumari came within range, but the Wembley fighter was patient and landed well with jabs to the body. A left hook from Castaneda glanced the target at the end of round one but Khoumari was unfazed.

The second round saw Castaneda attack the body with jabs and then he found a home for a clubbing right hand to the side of Khoumari’s head as the home fighter tried to pull out of range. It was close, as most rounds were, but the American was settling to his task now.

Khoumari stayed at range in round three and whipped quick combinations in to head and body whilst demonstrating great reflexes to dodge Castaneda’s wild swings. The Texan came back in the fourth and both men worked the body well before Khoumari seemed to momentarily stun his man with a left hand. He followed up with a solid right behind the jab and a check left hook to finish.

Khoumari seemed to be gaining a lead at this point and in round five he rocked Castaneda back with a right hand, the Texan was frozen in place for a half-second afterwards before hostilities renewed. In round six Khoumari picked up his attacks to the body and used them as a platform to tee off with flashy combos to head and body. He timed a perfect counter left that snapped Castaneda’s head back but instead of driving his opponent into his shell it prompted Castaneda to answer back and engage in a firefight. They stood toe to toe and traded in the centre of the ring as the crowd cheered them on. They both landed with sharp hooks but it still appeared as though Khoumari’s work was catching the eye a little more clearly.

Perhaps Castaneda’s corner sensed this because in round seven he went on the front foot and really pressed the action. Khoumari landed a flush shot but Castaneda walked through it and scored with big hooks of his own. The engine of Castaneda was beginning to visibly tire Khoumari and in the eight came a potential turning point.

Khoumari overreached with one his jabs downstairs and Castaneda countered with a left hook around the ear which discombobulated the Londoner. Khoumari got on his proverbial bike and tried to stay out of any conflict as Castaneda pursued him and looked to end the fight. Khoumari showed excellent recovery and survival skills but there was no doubt that he had been badly hurt.

Castaneda was now on the hunt and although the last two rounds saw a dip in the action there was no doubting the American was the aggressor and looking to push the pace of the fight. Khoumari was still able to get off with some combinations to the body and head but the snap had gone and Castaneda was still able to walk him down. The fight ended with a toe-to-toe exchange that brought a standing ovation from the audience.

It seemed perhaps Khoumari’s early work may have seen him take the nod but many of the rounds were close and the judges clearly preferred the aggression of Castaneda who adds yet another impressive scalp to his record. The judges scored the fight: 95-95, 97-94 and 96-94 in favour of the Texan.